The Best Restaurants in The Grove

Go to The Grove. Walk around. Eat. Walk around some more. Eat. Go home. Sleep. Repeat.

Grace Meat + Three

The evolution of Chef Rick Lewis, formerly of Quincy Street Bistro and Southern, continues! Expect all your favorite Southern "meat and three" dishes with a chef's touch. This family-friendly spot in The Grove opened fairly recently, but its already destined to become a St. Louis classic. There's no reason NOT to eat here. There are solid choices for everyone—vegetarians and children included—plus some delicious craft cocktails. Go in for a light meal or go all out on fried chicken, turkey legs, and St. Louis’ best ribs. The world is your oyster.

The URB

Is this real or is it just fantasy? The URB (Urban Research Brewery) offers test batches of new brews and New York-style pizza by the slice—or by the pie if you’re a professional eater like us. Sometimes they even have Roman-style pizza, like Bonci in Chicago. There’s really not much more to it than that, and we’re fine with it. This place rules.

Photo courtesy of The URB

Urban Chestnut Brewery

Next door to The URB is the main Urban Chestnut Brewery, and their food menu is straight fire. It’s a perfect mix of German bierhall and American comfort food, meaning it’s all perfect for soaking up lots of beer. We’re talking warm pretzel sticks with sauces for dipping, fried cheese curds, poutine, currywurst, smash burgers, and omg we’re so hungry now. We love it and it feels like they love us back.

Pie Guy Pizza

We’re realizing now that there’s a trend in The Grove: simple food, short menus, and nothing more needs to be said. Pie Guy Pizza serves late-night New York-style pizza by the slice or by the pie. It’s tasty. You’re drunk.

Photo courtesy of Pie Guy Pizza

Sauce on the Side

Have you ever wanted to eat a football filled with pizza? Then you’re in luck! Sauce on the Side serves massive calzones with your choice of fillings and, of course, a sauce on the side. We’re fans of the more traditional ones, like the Costanza and Meat Me in St. Louie, but if you feel like getting wild, you could go for something like the Cock-A-Doodle Noodle, which is filled with mac n’ cheese, amongst other things. You could share, but we recommend you get your own so there's leftovers for tomorrow.

Sameem Afghan Restaurant

Sameem is one of the OGs of The Grove’s dining scene, opening way back in 2005. It was—and still is—the only Afghan restaurant in Missouri, and once you eat there, you’re going to wonder why they aren’t on every corner. The food will be familiar to those who enjoy Middle Eastern and Central Asian food, but slightly different. We can’t go without ordering the goat beriani. The staff is always friendly and helpful, so tell them what you like and they’ll help you pick out the right dishes.

The Gramophone

The Gramophone opened just over a decade ago as a concert club, hosting over 1,500 shows. But then everything changed. The owners realized that music was on the way out and sandwiches were so in. That revelation led to a revamping of the space and menu, creating St. Louis’ only late-night sandwich pub. Seriously. Food until 2:30am, and a sandwich menu with more items than we can count. We haven’t even gotten close to trying everything on here, but we have yet to be let down.

Rise Coffee

Rise is one of our favorite spots for a morning meeting or an escape from the office. Besides having great coffee in a cool space, they have a solid food menu, too. There are a few lunch sandwiches, but the breakfast options are where it’s at. Almost every dish can be made vegetarian/vegan, and even for meat eaters, those are still damn good.